For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

                                                                                                               Hebrews 8:7, 13 

First things first, the old covenant was never designed to make us acceptable to God. Quite the contrary, the old covenant was given to bring to light just how short of God’s intended purpose we have all fallen (Romans 3:23). The old covenant, which is based on the Law, was given so that our transgressions would increase (Romans 5:20). This is quite the opposite of how some people handle the purpose of the Law. But the Law is designed to do one thing, lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). For all of these reasons, the old covenant was not faultless, meaning that it does not have the power to save. This is the subject of today’s passage.

Paul reminds us that if the Law had the capacity to save a human soul, then Christ certainly would not have had to go to the cross (Galatians 2:21). In that case, salvation would be for those who do what is right and eternal damnation would be for those who do not. But that is a far cry from what scripture teaches us about salvation. All of our adherence to the Law will come up short of saving our souls if that alone is what we are placing our trust.

Moralism sounds right. It appeals to our sense of doing our part in God’s justification process. It is especially appealing to the religiously proud. This was the problem with the brother of the prodigal (Luke 15:26). The same attitude is seen in the workers in the field (Matthew 20:11-12). This was the blindness of the Pharisees (John 9:24-34) and it was the issue of the Pharisee as he prayed (Luke 18:9-14). But no amount of morality will replace our acceptance of salvation, justification, and reconciliation by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

So when Jesus ushered in the new covenant, what happened to the old? The answer is “it became obsolete.” This term literally means, “being made old” but is translated in most Bibles as obsolete. The word “obsolete” is an interesting term. It means that something is “worn out.” When something is obsolete it is out of use or annulled. It is no longer useful for the one pursuing it. Consider our passage in the following translations:

God speaks of these new promises, of this new agreement, as taking the place of the old one; for the old one is out of date now and has been put aside forever. 

                                                                                                            Hebrews 8:13 (TLB) 

When God speaks of “A new covenant,” He makes the first one obsolete. And whatever is becoming obsolete (out of use, annulled) and growing old is ready to disappear. 

                                                                                                            Hebrews 8:13 (AMP) 

This is the same passage from The Living Bible and The Amplified Bible respectfully. They both beautifully sum up the reality that the old covenant has been replaced with the new.

So other than the Law leading us to Christ, what other role does the Law play in our justification and salvation? The answer is nothing! Consider the declaration of Paul:

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.  

                                                                                                            Romans 3:28 

I believe that this should be the declaration of every believer in Jesus. We see the same declaration from David and he lived before the ushering in of the new covenant:

…just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”

                                                                                                                   Romans 4:6-8

The new covenant has made the first obsolete. Any attempt to fuse the old and new covenants together distorts the gospel and clouds the simplicity of God’s plan for the salvation of mankind (Romans 5:18). Let’s walk boldly and confidently in the new covenant and tell others about this wonderful offer of salvation in Jesus!